National Briefing | South: Florida: More Evacuations Are Possible

Published: May 15, 2007

Firefighters managed to keep a sprawling wildfire along the Georgia-Florida line in check, though officials warned that more residents might have to evacuate. About 570 Florida residents were already out of their homes between Interstate 10 and the Georgia line, and Columbia County schools were closed as a precaution. The wildfire was started by lightning more than a week ago and raced through the Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia and into northern Florida. It has burned 102,500 acres in Florida and 139,813 acres of swampland in Georgia -- nearly 380 square miles in all. The fire was 30 percent contained in Florida, and the smoke was beginning to lift enough for firefighting aircraft to take off after being grounded all weekend because of low visibility.